Monster Wars : Another POV
by EvoFTG
Summary: Monster Wars trilogy but from Godzilla's P.O.V. What inner conflicts he is faced with when the world outside is massacred by an otherworldly power?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: **I know nearly everybody has done this, but Godzilla himself is interesting on his own so I try to see what I'll come up writing about him. It's also a little practice - I haven't write for so, so long, this will be a nice kick-start for my muse. Also, because it's fun!_

_**XxXxXxXxXx**_

I have been feeling uncomfortable for a few days but tonight, I am absolutely anxious. Even the usual darkness in the water cannot soothe me as I swim around, trying to find something with which I can let out some of my restlessness. I swim down right to the bottom of the bay and still cannot escape it.

I am what the humans know as Godzilla. I do not recognize the meaning, merely accepting what _he _has given me, but I do know what I am; a predator. Because of that, this fear is irritating – fear is an emotion reserved for the prey-kind. I am no prey. I seldom need the benefit of being frightened. Of course, I fear too at one time or another but it does not hold me back indefinitely or send me cowering back with tail between my legs. I retreat when the need presses me but I will always come back to claim back the victory that is mine – such is the way of the predators.

A yellow glint flits at the periphery of my vision as I swim on. I know it is watching my every move but I am not overly concerned of the stalker's presence – I barely do unless I feel the urge to chew something just for the fun of it, a habit of hatchlinghood that never entirely shakes off. I have heard somebody call it 'Nuh-ee-gel', or at least, that's what it sounded like to me – and to this very day, I am still perplexed by this yellow thing. It has voices and it can move but I never actually sense life stirring within it, like it was a pretender to living bodies – an Unlife of some sort. Oftentimes it piques my curiousity but for now, I am more inclined to solitude, thank you very much. Its speed is laughable compared to mine and with a few powerful beats of my tail, it is left far enough to be visible. However, solitude is hard to come by tonight, it seems – with the corner of my eyes, I catch a metallic glint of another familiar shape joining in the pursuit of me, this one in darker shade of yellow instead of the stalker's brighter colouration. This one, though, is a little different. I know that it is merely another Unlife like the previous stalker but I sense that it carries a living creature within it, one that I recognize. I know it without knowing how; this person is the only one whose presence I tolerate – no, _welcome_, in fact. I give my respect and concern to no other but _him_ – the giver of my name. He is my father…sort of.

…Well, actually, I _made_ him my father. Others of his kind have given him various names, 'Nick' being the most frequent, but to me he is simply Father. When I broke out of my egg years ago, his was the only life I could feel around me and the scent he had enveloped his body with was something pleasant, something oddly familiar. And I…I have identified him as my own ever since then, someone that I translate into safety and comfort, even affection. For a time, I _believed _he is my true parent, a creator of my flesh. I heeded his words, learned his strange wisdom and ways of life and was content to let my baffled instinct to settle. But I am not stupid and very soon I understand why I am not like my father at all or any of his friends. For one, I am _massive_ – I now dwarf my father several times over, with teeth that can effortlessly rip him and a tail which I have used to devastating effects a few times already; my father is tiny by comparison, hardly bigger than a talon on one of my toes, tailless, and with an overall feature that is not exactly predatory or even frightening. The scent of my kind that has effortlessly lured me into his embrace in my hatchlinghood has long vanished since then and the innate restraint on my hunter-instinct has been lifted. Yet I never feel the _desire_ to hurt him or break free from his reach. His company is precious to me and I…oh, a predator should never feel like this, but I do not want to lose him. I care for him, I truly do. I want to protect him, to keep him safe, to keep him _mine_.

Dimly, I am aware of the Unlife carrying my father within its belly, and the stalker further still behind me, struggling to keep up with my speed. Water is my element, my world; in it, few can match me whether it comes to stealth or speed. Yet even now, I hardly regard his presence while I focus myself into forced calmness – the agitation is prickling at my senses with constant annoyance. My swimming carries me to a region of the water that I know well but rarely visit; this is the area where other humans roam in their floating metal leaves, seeking to catch their own share of fish with their strange trailing web. I rarely have need to hunt – Nick periodically provide enough food for me to keep me satisfied – but the humans' presences easily irritate me; instinct tells me that they are intruders to places I call my own and I am innately driven to chase them off. Only precious few of the humans that I allow to be here; my father, of course, and then, there are also other members of his pack. So far as I can tell, they do not carry the familial scent that ties their bloods to that of my father's but I accept them as my father does, as a 'family'. However, the rest of the humans…

I lose against my better judgment and let my irritation drive me into recklessness. My patience, already running dangerously thin, is further drained by the sense of imminent danger. These humans are no threat to me but they are certainly getting in my way. With no outlet to spend my aggression upon, the humans become my unfortunate targets. A dash of my tail drives me forward and my jaws snap close as soon as the net attached to the floating metal leaf is within range. I cannot help but being a little opportunistic, though – I know that the net in my mouth is their tool to catch fish… and it is my favourite food. I rarely can resist temptations of easy meals and the humans' catch will be an extremely easy target for me, costing almost no energy for my part in pursuing the fishes. To my disappointment, though, as I lift my torso out of the water, the weight of the net proves the little bounty in it. The humans' metal leaf itself dangles precariously off the water by the net I'm holding in my mouth and I can hear the terrified screams of its occupants from within it. Unfortunately, it only makes me all the more annoyed. The impulsive roars I give announce my bad mood to the world even as I realize the presence of another floating metal leaf that appears seemingly out of the blue in my single-minded annoyance. However, I am more familiar with this one and so, feel no territorial instinct that the one I have caught invokes; this one is white in colour, with strange marking at the front that may or may not be a face of some creature I encounter in the ocean. Most importantly, like the Unlife that carries my father within its belly, this newcomer metal leaf also occasionally carries my father and his pack upon it, especially when they have needs to traverse the water. They are acceptable to my territory just like the yellow stalker has been – they all belong to my father and therefore are spared from my excursion.

However, the one I have caught is certainly an intruder and I am determined to get rid of it. I turn myself away from Father's metal leaf and plunge myself into the water, the net still clasped between my jaws, dragging the intruder-metal leaf with me. I try my luck in detaching the net from it – the fishes in it may be few, but they can still be complimentary snacks – and wiggle the net around while I continue to pull the metal leaf along, leading it out of my stretch of water. Their terrified shouts intensify – though muffled by the water surrounding me – when I tug at the net harder and almost capsize their metal leaf in the process. The lingering taste of what few mouthfuls of fishes I have managed to catch during my earlier swim seems to fuel my hunger…and the pitiful few that are within the net seems suddenly like a feast worth fighting over in my clouded mind.

"Godzilla!"

I start at the naming of me, so much so that I temporarily forget to snatch the net and its catch from the metal leaf. I am fully aware of my father's inability to function in the water as well as myself but the voice that speaks to me undoubtedly belongs to him. He sounds so very near too, as if he is right beside me…but experiences tell me that my father cannot speak when he is underwater, exactly where I am now. Before I can fully comprehend the situation, the disembodied voice of my father speaks again, and this time, it issues to me an instruction that I have heard numerous of times already: "Back away! Back away!"

Baffled, I turn my head to where the voice seems to come from…and to my greater bafflement, where the speaker is expected to be, I find instead the yellow stalker Unlife. However, neither Father himself nor the dark-yellow Unlife he embarks in is in the immediate area. It must have been one of the many tricks the humans have which enable him to communicate thus, I conclude, although I give no thought as to how this is achieved. The question is not mine to answer. Convinced now that the speaker is really him despite the lack of his presence, I am obliged to heed his order. I open my maw, letting the net float out of my mouth freely, suppressing my slight disappointment in having to let the intruders go.

Father's voice, still issuing out from the Unlife stalker, shouts again once I have obeyed his first command: "Follow me! Follow me!"

I do not question the reasons as I follow the retreat of the yellow stalker, as was expected of me when such instructions are given. But then, something strange takes place; the stalker's body spazzes and crackles with erratic force, brief sparks glittering all over it. Father's voice becomes distorted as if responding to the stalker's own seizures…and as he becomes too incomprehensible to understand, a mixture of anger and worry swells unexpectedly within me. I fear that I have been fooled by this yellow stalker into leaving the area, distracting me away from the scene when the intruding metal leaf is up to no good…and the humans' mischief may probably include harming my father. The increasingly unintelligible noises from the yellow stalker prove to be too much of an irritation with my current mood; with a flick of my tail, I dismiss the Unlife stalker and save my ears from further audial tortures.

It may be difficult to believe but most of the time, I am surprisingly docile; unless I feel those irrational urges to throw tantrum, and even that is growing uncommon now, I do not run amok without reasons unless there are threats to my existence or my father. When I do not hunt, I prefer to sleep in my hideout or bask near my father's aboveground lair, saving my energy from fruitless activities. I can easily tolerate his antics and all the ridiculous things he carry out even though I can barely understand to what purpose he does so. I enjoy his presence and companionship and the occasional touches I receive are appropriately treasured. I even bear the closeness of others of his pack and lend them my aid in dangerous situations…but that is as far I am willing to go. If strangers happen to be near enough to offend my calmness, my normally quiet manners will evolve into monstrous raging, turning me into a nightmarish creature with an innate territorial sense to eliminate those that I do not recognize.

That same rage is fast transforming me into the vicious incarnation of myself. I break the surface of the water with a splash, head swiveling around in search of the intruder-metal leaf that I have previously abandoned. My eyes fall upon said object immediately, with the human owners standing upon it. My throat vibrates with warning growls, realizing that I have emerged a mere few feet from them. I bring my head down to them, smelling their fear and delighting in it as they look upon me helplessly, an intoxicating scent to my nose that fuels my anger to new levels. Already I can feel the satisfaction of spilled blood, of flesh being torn apart –

A shrill sound suddenly takes me by surprise, halting my dangerous intention from commencing into actions. By itself, the interfering noise should only serve to increase my aggression but alongside it, there is a familiar call that prevents my rage from boiling full-fledged.

"Back away!"

The voice shouts again, piercing through the veil of my bloodlust with the keenness of my teeth sinking into my enemies' flesh. The effect is instantaneous; I can feel my murderous anger dissipating into mild annoyance. My clouded thoughts become clear, giving way for intelligence and reasoning to fill the gaps in my mind. Only one man can assert such influence upon me and he is now standing on top of his half-floating Unlife, his hands waving around to further fish my attentions.

"Godzilla, back away!"

Even as Father utters those words, I have already moved myself away from those intruders. I bring my head down before my father, signifying my full attention upon him; a questioning growl rises in my throat. I understand his instructions, yes, but I cannot comprehend why he tolerates their presences in my – our – area. Perhaps he can read my not-so-gentle intentions towards them, knowing that in my wrath, I can be quite reckless with my actions. His face shows all the sign of fear, though clearly it is not for himself. I give him a purring growl definitive of my gentler side, assuring him that I am now free of my bloodlust. Almost instantly, his body relaxes a little when he hears me using the tone…though perhaps he is still not completely sure if I will leave the humans unharmed, hence his to-be-on-the-safe-side order of 'go home'.

I understand what he wants and oblige with it. I am sure my father will know how to deal with the intruders so I leave him be, diving back underwater and disappearing out of his sight. I leave the open water and return to the bay that I have made home for myself; my lair has been burrowed out in the area, close enough to the water edge that the bay's shoreline is visible but far enough that its depth ensure a satisfying swim for me. On fine days, my eyes can see the lonesome structure that is my father's place, his own aboveground lair where most of his time is spent. I frequently make my appearance there; the shallow water surrounding it is excellent for basking and even the small sandy stretch at the building's side offers me a place to just laze around when nothing calls to my attention. These past few days, however, I find myself avoiding the place for a strange darkness has fallen upon it, one that drives me into constant restlessness should I come too close. It is somehow familiar but I cannot quite put my talon on it, hence my growing disappointment. If it has been any other place, I would have likely thrashed the place and rip the walls apart. But this is different because it belongs to Father – his refuge, his lair, just as the underwater cave is my respite when things become too overwhelming. If someone should invade my lair and destroy it, I will be very, very angry – I do not wish to invoke Father's anger towards me if I act that recklessly.

I guess it's alright either way – I can just stay put and observe for events to unfold themselves. I may be a predator, but I am one with the patience to ambush when my enemies have let their guards down.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **And now...enters the big bad bat! :D_

_**XxXxXxXxXx**_

Have I said that I hate intruders?

Well, one alien 'voice' – a presence – just happens to alert me when I have already enough to worry about with intensifying the darkness around Father's lair that I can no longer find peace there. No, these new intruders are not humans – Father's kind does not rekindle my sense into such anger even if they have trespassed – but one of those I personally dub as Big Enemies. I have encountered – and fought – many of them before, each of them differs as much from the ones before them as they are from the next. My father gives them many names, some too incomprehensible for me to think of, but I regard them all as enemies if they threaten Father and I. I leave alone those few I deem peaceful enough but I kill many more with my teeth, claws and fire. Yet, sometimes, I cannot help but feel as if deep down, we are creatures of the same origin despite the various masks we wear…

Enough.

All these thoughts are unfruitful and I have yet to see this new intruder. It is difficult for me to describe the 'voice' that reaches me, though muted by the great distance between us; it is like hearing, perhaps, but it feels like my whole body is the ears. The voice crawls across my hide and rattles my scales like waves…and truth to be told, this particular one irks me. I leave behind the safety of my cave and plunges into the watery entrance of my lair, my memories and senses navigate me through the tunnels and to the open water beyond. The water is calm, its surface dotted here and there by the humans' fish-catching metal leaves in the distance – but none of them belong to Father. I turn my head away from the vast openness and squinted my eyes toward the bay instead, where Father's 'lair is and see the glimmer of white I've recognized to be the particular floating leaf I am searching for.

My father's white carrier, never too far behind – and sometimes, even being ahead – of me whenever I hear the faraway 'voice' of those Big Enemies, is still silent in the shade of Father's lair. Does he not hear the voice of threat from beyond the horizon? I prowl around restlessly, anxious to begin my journey because I am used to follow after it rather than journeying alone. Then, I see a familiar figure striding out of the door. Not Father, no, but one of the females of Father's pack. I recall her as a formidable warrior, despite her slender limbs and lithe build, the Strong one of the pack. Another recognizable face follows after her – the Talkative one, who is himself trailed by his usual companion, the one with a round face and sun-coloured hair. Yet, I see no trace of Father although I can sense his presence in the building.

Where are they going? They do not seem to have any interest to board the white carrier, instead going their separate ways. I feel my curiousity piques at their strange behaviours but I hold myself back; the darkness I have noticed before has returned shortly before and its stench is tainting the three. I bring up my patience to wait for them to depart first but they never did; when I sense Father's dwindling presence from his lair, I know that he has left without the company of his pack members. The white metal leaf will not carry him this time; Father will journey through some other means that I do not quite understand yet. I give no detailed thought to it, though, merely content in knowing where he is heading – and that I will be there to assist even if no one else will stand by him.

_**XxX**_

I revel in the feel of water rushing across my hide as I swim through the water, following the disembodied voice, intent to find the source as soon as I can and see if this one is a threat to me and Father's pack. I swim for such a long time that the day blurs together; the cold water of my home becomes steadily warmer as I head South, following the trail of the voice with my senses. My tail swishes side to side, side to side, beating relentlessly as I ride whatever currents that happens to agree with my path. I see not much of Father's kind throughout the journey – I actively avoid them and their floating leaf, in fact, knowing the sort of responses I am likely to receive – but I do catch the glimpse of a flying Unlife once, high among the clouds. It reminds me of Father's floating leaf back in his Lair and wonder if the others have changed their mind…

The flying Unlife rises ever higher and the clouds swallow it, where my eyes cannot follow. I sigh for I have felt Father's nearness when the flying Unlife has been in my sight. But the disappointment does not last long; in the distant, an unfamiliar floating leaf comes into my sight, one that I do not wish to reveal myself to. I lose myself in the dark depth and continue onward.

_**XxX**_

There are times when the 'voice' becomes quiet and I am left with no direction, in which case I will take the chance to do a little bit of hunting. I am not easy to get hungry and the swimming has been rather leisurely to conserve energy – I have learnt to not swim at speed over long distances to keep me ready for fights, if it comes down to that – but I will never turn down a chance to fill my belly. I notice that the 'voice' usually stays quiet when the sun is up and emerges only after night has fallen. When I hear it next, it predictably comes up just as dusk has settled and the blue sky turns orange. Eager to meet the intruder, I follow it but it leads me away from the sea and into a confusing maze of freshwater rivers, lined for as far as I can see with thick, tangled trees that I am not familiar with. Neither the low salinity nor the gloomy depth bothers me – although it does have a smell different from the waters back at home – so I continue my search unhindered by the new watery environment. It does not take a lot of time – the Big Enemy reveals itself soon and I spot it emerging from behind a rocky outcropping from over a few miles away, greyish-blue against the warm-coloured sky.

I choose to hide myself and observe its behavior at first, so I let myself submerge and let the murky water covers me. It looks bat-like with its spindly legs and membrane-covered wings. And its sound, oh, it is irritating – thin and reedy in a fashion that grates my ears. I don't like it but it does not seem to be _that _dangerous…that is, until I see its head turn away from my direction, apparently finding itself something of interest. With its head directed downward, it comes to hover near ground-level and emits a most peculiar sound I have yet heard from it – and suddenly, it flinches away as something bright hits it on the face.

It was then that I notice the noises in the grounds – noises that I am too familiar with to be mistaken.

I feel anger rises in me and I discard all attempts at being discrete. I spring out from my cover and step onto the tree-covered banks, heedless of the trunks that annoyingly prick the sole of my feet. Nothing matters, for even as I make out the sound of a speeding floating leaf and the shocked screams of its occupants, I hear the all-too distinguishable voice of my father, lower and less frequent than others but it is the one voice I am particularly attuned to. I barrage though the trees and roar my warning at the bat, all my anger contained within it: _Come closer and I WILL kill you. _

The bat, though alarmed, does not seem willing to give up without a fight. It gives another defiant screech and swoops down lower for another pass at its potential victims. My blood runs hot at the blatant challenge and hurtle myself at it, my arms locking themselves around the furred body as I attempt to suffocate it under my weight. We crash among the trees alongside the riverbanks, which cushion our fall – though unfortunately, the mud that layers the Earth makes the bat slippery to grasp. I try to reach it with my claws, aiming for the wings; a miss, for the bat has hopped just out of my reach. Those spindly legs desperately claw for purchase on the slick ground, slip, but manage to yet again amble out of range just as I try to swipe at it. I scramble towards it but too late, it has launched itself into the air with a frantic kick. I make a desperate lunge for it, intending to break the wing-bones with my teeth. I want to keep it on the ground but in its panic, completely ignorant of the jutting branches all around us, the bat begins flapping its wings with such frenzy that it does not seem aware of the gashes in its delicate wing-membranes, torn open by whatever trees it has crashed through in its ascent. Quickly, I begin pursuit of it, using my speed in the water to keep me as close as possible to the flying rat although to my frustration, the water is too shallow for me to do anything else.

Ahead of us is the tall, many peaked-landscapes of human-built city. The buildings and whatever may happen to them is of small concern to me but I do realize that if allowed to escape among the maze-like environments, it will be much more difficult for me to hunt it down. I hound its movement as best as I can, waiting for the opportunity to stop it – and suddenly, the river bottom drops drastically beneath me. I carefully keep my sight upon it as I head down, building up the needed distance to perfect my lunge – and when I see its flight slows down the tiniest bit, I propel myself forward as fast as my tail can. I break the surface in a brilliant spray, my outstretched claws groping for the stunned bat and hauling it close to my chest. We drop back into the water with a splash, using the thicker hide on my back to absorb much of the impact – all the while, I keep the bat firmly in my embrace. It may be a great flyer but water is its weakness. Even now, I feel its smaller body struggle against me as water closes down upon us, its heart drumming so hard from fear I can feel it against my hide. It is running out of air, while I have little need to worry about drowning.

Victory seems almost assured for me.

…which is why I totally do not see it coming when, with what few breath it has left, it screams _right in my face_.

I have been unsettled by the noise it makes the very first time I heard it; up close, the sound is not only uncomfortable but downright painful. My eardrums feel like being shattered from the force of its shrill scream. My sight becomes disjointed and my strength fails. I feel a brief pressure upon my chest and the furry bundle in my arms kick free. Blackness begins creeping in from the edges of my vision as I float down and down, the dark depth below pulling my unmoving body and I…

_I…_

_I…don't…_

_...Father…?_

I hear it. I recognize it – the sound of Father's floating metal leaf, the rumbles somehow muted in my stupor. Yet, there is no mistaking it for what it is. The pack has come to Father's aid.

…_Must protect…_

I feel Father's presence moving with the floating leaf. Somehow, he has transferred himself from the smaller floating leaf he has last seen him in and into this more familiar carrier. The white foam that trails behind it traces its path – and where the white leaf is heading, I can hear the distant 'voice' of the bat not far off. Red fills my vision and my blood roars hotly in my veins as the memories of my defeat come back to me. It…is unacceptable! The nerve! I will not tolerate such humiliation, NOT from such laughable weakling!

I force my limbs to move, fighting the phantom heaviness in my slack muscles. My sweeping tail drives me forward with new determination. The bat soars between the high towers of the city for protection though its movements are somewhat groggy now. The water must have at least done something to disturb its senses, then. It tries to keep a stable flight but accidentally strays to the wide, unhindered sky above the river – an easy prey for me. I breach the water, jaws opened –

– And my jaws snap close on empty air. It has yet again eluded capture; curse that stinky, winged rat! Its unpredictable flight pattern makes it all the more difficult to grab and in turn, makes my failure all the more infuriating.

_You will NOT escape me!_

I give chase; my eyes becoming blind to my environments while all of my attention narrows down to the crafty little fur-ball. I thread the increasingly shallow river, no longer able to submerge myself in the water and use my underwater speed in the pursuit.

_So close! Just a little bit more…!_

I can even feel the rush of wind from its beating wings. It must have realized how little the distance between us from the nervous squawk it gives. I power my legs harder, determined to trap it between my teeth this time – when it suddenly spirals itself sideway and folds its wings close to its body. My bafflement only lasts a short while before realization hits me right on the snout – the bat has gambled its luck and attempted to slip through one of the semi-circular gaps that line a bridge which spans the width of the river – a bridge that I, in my mad quest for revenge, have utterly failed to notice. The bat wins its gamble this time; its body, now streamlined, manages to get past the obstacle, its vast wings snapping open as soon as it is free from the metal trappings of the bridge.

I have not been so lucky.

My muzzle pushes right through the gap, driven forward by my momentum built during the chase. I dug my feet-claws into the riverbed to gain some traction but still I cannot stop, not until I have shoved the entirety of my head through the narrow space. Trapped, I try to push my way forward but the steel structures prove sturdy against my struggles; I frantically retrace my steps but the loop around my neck catches on the jutting spikes at the back of my head.

_Oh no…_

I…I've been trapped! I slam my body forward, again and again, in an attempt to crumble down the bridge but everything is for naught. I am immobilized, unable to move in any way even though I have put every ounce of my strength into my attempts to break free. I roar out my frustration which proves to be a foolish thing to do indeed, because the sound of my distress has caught the attention of the very creature I wish to avoid in this situation. I've become an easy prey and neither of us fails to notice my vulnerability.

The bat plunges towards me even as I struggle – a futile effort, for its clawed legs strengthen his roost upon my muzzle. I doubt that it can do any serious harm towards me, but when its fangs sink into the hide of my snout, I am tormented less by pain itself than the humiliation in my helplessness. My roar is no longer as frightening in its knowledge that I can do little against its puny bites. I cannot shake it off, as limited my struggles are, and neither my claws nor tail can reach it. I desperately breathe out my fire – the searing heat forces it to take flight but it returns as soon as it ceases, back exactly where it has been a few seconds ago. Its fangs flash sinisterly when it opens its muzzle, ready to take a second bite.

Then, I feel it; the revolting darkness that has driven me away from Father's lair these few days.

It comes out of the blue that it stuns me the moment I sense it, but it has not come for me. Instead, the darkness takes the bat perched on my nose, surrounding it, tainting its presence the way it has previously tainted the members of Father's pack, though it is far more intense now. The bat freezes and even with the awkward closeness, I see its eyes narrowing most peculiarly, growing distant, as if staring into something beyond me. A voice unexpectedly calls, a voice that is not at all like the 'voice' of Big Enemies that I have mentioned. In fact, it is incomparable to anything I have heard throughout my life. I cannot comprehend it not only because of its faintness – the words are foreign, but it is unlike the difference between father's language and mine. Yet, the bat seems to understand it perfectly and responds to it in its own shrill squawk. Spreading its wings wide, it takes off without a moment's interest towards me anymore as if I am no longer there. With it, the darkness goes and the atmosphere is once again clear from its influence.

The bat problem has been eradicated, at the very least. However, that I am still trapped is still something I cannot solve. My neck-muscles begin to ache from the prolonged extension, made only worse by my frantic struggles to escape. In my misery, I cry long and hard into the night, reflecting my anguish…and am surprised to find a voice answers to my helpless cry.

"Godzilla!"

I bellow harder, recognizing the voice belonging to Father. I cannot turn my head to search him but I do see the white glint of his carrier at the corner of my eyes. Even his nearness is soothing enough when just a few seconds ago I have nothing but a Big Enemy taunting my defenselessness.

"Follow my voice! Back away! Back away!"

_Back away? But I've tried – _

I grunt in defeat. I do not seem make progress in everything I've tried, but his advice gives me something to put my hope into. I do as I am told; I back away, once, twice, and on the third attempt, my head happens to tilt a little – enough for the spikes at the back of my head to avoid catching the steel loop. My head slides loose from the entrapment almost laughably easy, it annoys me to think that I have been caught here for that long.

I duck under the bridge and spot the white carrier on the other side. My father is standing at the front of it and I see relief on his face, his concern for me satiated that I have broken free. I am grateful for his aid, without which I may as well still be trapped here until one enemy or another finds me and bring me to death. I shiver a little at the unpleasant notion of such end.

_Thank you, Father._

He recognizes my gratitude with his smile. I see no reason for me to linger afterwards, what with the bat having vanished and all, and vanish myself into the deeper parts of the river. Besides, I am getting hungry with all the thrashing about even if I ultimately fail to kill the bat. I cannot lie – I have been a little worried should my father becomes disappointed at my recklessness or the fact that I have been bested by a Big Enemy smaller than myself. It is as much relief for me that I see no such signs on his face as it has been when I am finally free from the bridge's loop.

Well, it bears no benefit thinking of further. I swim off, aiming myself for the vast freedom in the sea. Until my hunger is satisfied and the bat decides to show itself again, I will just have to wait. I do hope that it dies from fatigue or whatever wounds I have given it somewhere far from here, its body sinking into the ocean or buried deep underground, its threat to be forgotten forever.

I should have known that such luck is too much to be hoped for…


	3. Chapter 3

_I was going down, down, drawn into the blackness of the ocean. Something called to me down there, something interesting, something…dreadful. I wanted to turn around, to flee, but my curiousity urged me on against the better of my instinct. Around me was pure, undiluted blackness that sent a chill down my spine – this blackness was something more sinister than the lonely, sun-forgotten realm of the deep that I would sometimes visit. Even if there was to be a sun to exist down here, its light would die in this suffocating, life-stealing gloom. _

_I would have turned around right there and then – this place was death's place – but a pinprick of light suddenly pierced through the darkness. It was quite nothing like the light I was used to – the beam was of green darker than the flames I breathe out from my jaws, a sickly colour that did not seem to belong here. The light did not illuminate; it ate the darkness but revealed nothing in return. There was nothing natural about this phenomena and my instinct went into frenzy, for a voice had suddenly spoken, its source indiscernible as if it had come from the green light itself. _

_What words it did spoke was beyond me – the voice was faint to my ears even if I had strained all my listening capability towards it. I was already retreating from the uncomfortable presence when I saw dark silhouettes from the darkness beyond; shapes that I vaguely recognized but of which I could draw no comfort from. They came answering the summons of the green light, chanting in unison, though their words were also alien to me. I was held there by morbid curiousity to know these new visitors; I got more than I bargained for._

_Poking into the green, swallowing light was the hideous head of the Big Enemy that I had fought in my first ever battle. It came for me with its flower-like mouth blooming open, revealing the fleshy red interiors, and caught me in its slimy grasp._

**_XxXxXx_**

I wake with a start, half-expecting my head to be covered in the saliva of the First Big Enemy, only to find myself completely dry and safe in my underwater cave. The nightmare has been recurring to me ever since the darkness begins haunting Father's lair, though never with this much vividness to it. I exhale softly, relieved to be freed from the horrible dream, and lay my head back upon my arms outstretched before me. Though unsettled, I find myself interested in today's nightmare – it has never progressed beyond me finding the darkness and retreating immediately upon discovering it. The sickly green light is a new thing, as well as the appearances of the Big Enemies. And the voice, of course; the voice of the green light speaks with the same indefinable language as that which I have heard when the darkness took the Big Bat a few days before…

Recognition suddenly sparks in my mind; memories that resurface from the back of my mind bring to me the answer of the revolting darkness that has been intriguing me for so long.

Ever since the darkness appears, I have the strangest sense of familiarity to it, and now I know why; I have felt it before – months before, actually – and the previous time, it has led me down to the darkest depth of the ocean. I have found there a strange, unearthly thing, even stranger than the two flipper-limbed snakes which had guarded it. It roughly resembled the humans' floating metal leaf though it was far bigger, far older and far more unpleasant to my eyesight…and instead of floating, this thing resided unmoving on the floor far from the surface of the water, hence myself terming it the Sunken Leaf. From it, that same darkness I feel enveloping my father's lair, emanated from it though it had been much stronger, much more intense as if a tiny fraction of it has escaped the Sunken Leaf and is haunting Father's place instead.

…Well, _has haunted_, actually. After the day that I fought the bat, Father and his white carrier have seemingly split up – I saw the floating leaf left for somewhere unknown without sensing Father's presence in it. Tracking Father, I have been led back home and found that the darkness that so revolts me is no longer there. Though puzzled by it, I am in no way going to complain about the change. At least, I do not have to worry that Father is inside a building stagnant with the sense of unease like before. However, now that I recall exactly why the darkness seems familiar, my unease is made anew; when I discovered the Sunken Leaf before, I have not been alone.

Father has been there, too.

He and his Pack has travelled, in an unfamiliar Unlife, right down to where the Sunken Leaf was and vanquished the dark waves that had me on edge, into nothingness. I have not felt the emanation ever since until recently. It concerns me that, having known what the source of my uneasiness is, I cannot track it as easily as I did the Sunken Leaf –my senses detect the dark presences only fleetingly, each appearance occurring at different locations and with various intensities. Consumed by a sudden worry, I heave myself into the entrance pool I have been lying beside, following the twists and turns of the underwater tunnel until I emerge into the open water of the bay. Father dominates my thoughts for I recall the dark-wrapped flippered snakes which have guarded the Sunken Leaf the last time – the darkness has gone from Father's place, but what if the Big Snakes should be there too?

Fortunately, as I approach the white building that is Father's Lair, I sense no companies of any Big Enemies whatsoever – though neither did I feel Father's presence here. He must have been off to somewhere else while I have fallen asleep from the journey's exhaustion. However, I am now not overtly anxious of his safety that I see no evidence of the flippered snakes anywhere nearby. Though most of the time he will be either in his lair or aboard his white carrier, he is not _always _there, strictly speaking. Sometimes, he went far to the edge of my perception, deep in the city, where I am not too willing to follow. Nor do I have the need to when his safety is rarely threatened so deep in his kind's domain…though of course there are exceptions to it.

Like when the rats showed up, of course.

I snort disdainfully at the thought of those nasty, foul rodents that had crawled underneath the city once. A bunch of tiresome lot, they are, and sneaky as squids when I try to track them through the city streets. But my fire has burnt them all right in their very home so I don't suppose I should be afraid of one suddenly appearing out there and maul my father. My anxiety is reassured at the notion even if he is beyond my sight – though I can still sense his faint presence, being far away from me – but when dusk settles over the sky, I find myself being brought back to fidgeting because I have again felt the darkness…along with some 'voices' that I recognize from past experiences.

The darkness does not return to haunt Father's place, though; instead, what my senses are now detecting is merely a tendril originating from a location that I have yet to know. Never have I felt it this strongly, faraway though it is. That it does not seem to concentrate where I sense Father is of little reassurance, now that my agitation is reignited. I swim to the surface and roar out my call of alarm, hoping that there will be a member of two of Father's pack left in there who will hear my warning. I wait for a moment and two but when only silence meet me, I raise my voice again, and again but each time my roar echoes into the atmosphere I am met only with distant noises of the city and the quiet lapping of the waves against the shore. And with every passing second, I feel the darkness intensifying – and wherever it is, the 'voices' I have heard before are led there and each one carries the taint of the mysterious darkness with them.

Yet, my father…he is not going where the dark 'voices' are gathering. His presence is faint to my perception but I know he has not left the land and cross the ocean, where my other worry is coming from. My protective instinct is screaming for my body to move, to act against the threats and conscience leads me on – to my father. For even as there is darkness congregating far to the South, I have a feeling that he will need me soon, especially when my strained senses perceive a new darkness emerging exactly where I feel he is.

I power myself through the water as fast as I can, driven by mounting anxiety while the small dark spot in my perception grows rapidly. All of my thoughts and efforts are poured into reaching Father as fast as I can, using the ocean's depth to lend me speed rather than swimming at the surface. Yet my speed, for once, does not seem to be as impressive as I remember with Father being so uncomfortably close to it. With every moment, I have the ugliest expectation of Father's warm presence vanishing, swallowed by the menacing darkness. Distance becomes a hazy matter for me in my blind rush to him – even the nightfall is barely noticeable. When the darkness's growth halts, it is of no relief whatsoever to me not only because Father is still close to it, the spot is now emitting darkness even more intense than that which has previously wrapped itself around Father's lair. Worse, it is no longer a stationary blackness; it is moving, as does my Father.

The darkness is _chasing _him!

The shore comes into my sight, a flat dark-grey land unlike the golden sandy stretch around Father's lair. Floating metal leaves dot the water edge, as grey as the ground itself, but even my usual reluctance of appearing before the humans – especially when I notice these sort of metal leaves are the ones that are capable of attacking me with their fiery stings – does not dissuade me from rushing straight ahead. From underwater, I have glimpsed the unmistakable outline of a Big Enemy trampling around the place, one whose stain of the darkness is so potent that it seems to ripple the very air with its dark radiation. It comes to crouch upon the ground, like…like…myself…when I have pinned down my enemy and is about to give it my finishing blow. Except that it is no enemy that its opened mouth is ready to swallow. In that instant, nothing else is in my mind but anxiety for my father's life, which is about to be ended between those ripping teeth.

_No! Father!_

I call for him reflexively and the Big Enemy stalls, surprised at my unexpected appearance. There is no strategy in my mind right now as I make a leap for it, driven by the need to keep it away from Father. My powerful legs kick my whole body into a second bound and I suddenly find myself barrelling into the Big Enemy's body. Both of us tumble down in a cloud of debris as our combined weights crush the building we happen to land upon. Hard, metallic plates meet my headbutting with a solid _clunk_ instead of yielding flesh, and the first seed of doubt is planted in me at the contact.

I let go of it – just like that, for a great confusion suddenly sweeps over me. I cannot quite tell what it is exactly. I come quickly to my feet, trying to fight my reluctance, only to discover that I am actually _unwilling _to fight this Big Enemy or bring any harm to it. It is not fear, no, because I have fought many enemies, but this one seems to hold a power that I cannot quite explain, just as I do not exactly know why I have protected Father all these years despite my perfect capability to kill him. I strain my eyes towards the billowing dust cloud, watching as if hypnotized, as the Big Enemy pushes itself up and stands before me, for once fully revealing its appearance to me.

This Big Enemy…it is not me. Its eyes are aglow with an unsettling green radiance that strikes my heart with unexplained fear. Its hide is paler than mine and bits of metal seem to be as much part of its body as warm flesh-and-blood; in fact, much of its head and an entire arm are metal-based. Its appearances are not reflection of mine, but still I can sense kinship with this…creature, even under its confusing mixture of organic and metal limbs. It carries many scents upon its body, some not quite agreeable to my nostrils, yet underneath all that there is one particular scent that reminds me of the time of my hatchlinghood. It was the same scent that I have sniffed coming from Father in my earlier days, one that has made me put him down instead of making an easy meal out of him.

_-Stop this madness!_

My limbs lock themselves upon hearing the voice that comes out from between that maw. It does not have my timbre but the intonation holds an echo to my roar; a voice that I vaguely remember hearing to when I was still in the egg.

_Who…who are you…?_

I ask, overwhelmed by confusion from the sudden flooding of memories into my mind. It holds too much half-forgotten secrets that I can scarcely do anything but to stand there and wonder its identity.

_-Have you been so lost that you forget who you're talking to?!_

_But – _

_-Silence! You are forgetting your place, CHILD!_

Its voice holds a power over me that I cannot disobey. It commands my submission in its anger, a creature of such authority that I instinctively quail under its gaze. In that instant, I knew with undeniable certainty why I have felt that subconscious familiarity with this creature, why its voice invokes my respect in its presence. My claws and teeth cannot harm it because I will not have even existed without it. I owe my very flesh and blood to it.

"Godzilla, ATTACK!"

I have completely forgotten the reason I am here in the confusion but his command has brought my attention back to him. Father is not alone; his sun-headed friend is with him, stuck together in a strange yellow land-carrier that has been overturned before my arrival. I bring myself down to his level, for once feeling a true reluctance to obey his words. Does he not see that my supposed enemy is not at all someone that I should fight, just as I am not supposed to hurt Father?

_Father, I…I can't. Its – her blood is sacred._

I glance back towards her, who stands watching over us with obvious distaste that makes me all the more nervous. Her displeasure is unwelcomed but so is Father's disapproval of my hesitance. I give him my gentlest growl, hoping that I will be understood for the disobedience. Confusion shadows his friend's countenance but upon Father's face, I can see only such disappointment that my heart shrivels at the sight.

"What's wrong?" I hear the sun-headed one ask.

"I am only his adopted father, remember?" His voice comes out almost like a growl, but even then I cannot find a strong enough will to obey his command. "Looks like he just dumped me for his birth mother!"

_Mother_….yes; that is the word. I lift my eyes towards her and force myself to face her dislike at our interactions. I have not 'dumped' him but neither do I want to kill one who has laid my egg. I stand between them, feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness as their warring desires tug my instinct in different directions.

_-You have been with these vermin for too long, child. Their disgusting softness has tainted you. _

She growl deep with disdain, her judging eyes boring deep into mine. The green in her eyes remind me of the intense darkness that has put me on edge whenever I feel it. I dislike the darkness she has enveloped herself with and question myself why she even tolerates the very thing that disgusts me. Yet for all that, I still crave her companionship; for the longest while, I have thought myself to be the last of my kind to walk the Earth. To find myself standing before another, and my own mother, no less, relief fills me in the knowledge that I am not as alone as I have previously thought.

_Perhaps, Mother, but they have cared for me ever since – _

The rest of my sentence is lost into a shocked growl; I have not realized the tendril of darkness that is reaching for me from above until I feel its 'coldness' wrapping about me like the death-coils of a snake. However, it is not my breath that it squeezes out from me but the spirit to fight – the darkness carries with it a voice which I have heard being spoken from the green light in my nightmares, though now the words are no longer incomprehensible to me. It calls to me with demands for my obedience and to question nothing in return…

…_Like a slave._

Like fire, my sudden rage is awoken at such insolent demand. The predator in me despises the notion of surrender even more than it hates intruders in my territories. I lash out instinctively in defiance to the voice and the darkness that accompanies it. Though there are no enemies from which my claws can draw blood from, still the intangible darkness withdraws from the burn of my battle-rage like a Big Enemy would when facing me in my bloodlust.

_-Do not fight it!_

I cannot help my eyes from meeting her hard gaze in my perplexity upon hearing her words, my wrath dissipating quickly under the weight of my curiousity. Why should I not oppose the darkness when everything in my nature rebels against its oppressing presence?

_But, Mother…!_

However, there are scarcely enough time for me to feel confused for even as I speak, a second wave of darkness falls upon me. There is no gentleness to it as the dark tendril forces its way into my mind. I try to fight but the door is pried open, laying bare my thoughts to its dark musing. There was pain and horror, but of what I do not know, only recognizing the instinct in me screaming at the dark presence that is spreading through my panicked thoughts. The argument I have for Mother freezes on my tongue and is swallowed back, to disappear along with any residual reluctance I may still have. Words and images whose natures my mind cannot fully grasp fill my thoughts, yet it is of little concern as long as I understand the desires pertained within them – because only those matter to my fate, who live to serve the power behind the voice.

Right now, my master speaks of carnage and shed blood of the two humans before me.

"Godzilla!" He calls again, that one whom I have named as my father, and revulsion stabs through me when I look down towards him.

I cannot understand it. Why have I protected these humans, these wretched creatures before? How hideous, how disgusting they are! Those pale, naked skins, that too-flat faces, their weak limbs… Mother is right; they are nothing more than pestilence, deserving of nothing but destruction.

_-Death to these vermin!_

I echo her roar with one of my own. My master has commanded their deaths and so, dead they will be. I see their faces and the helpless fear which shapes them. I revel in the sight; revel in the knowledge of their powerlessness against what is to come.

Yet, they still run. Whatever hope they think there is, they are clinging to it tightly enough to give them the courage to do so. Of course, it is merely a vain hope, an illusion – I smell their pungent fear even when they have scurried away into hiding.

_Yes, run away, little humans. When I catch you, your deaths will be all the better._

They are near, I can sense it. Somewhere in these nooks and crannies of this place, they shiver in waiting for me to be gone. Well, I will be once I have their bodies between my teeth and drink their sweet blood…

"Hey, over here! Over here!"

_So, getting tired of hiding, it seems?_

He is not even good at running, though; and he is noisy too. I see him fleeing away from me and hear the echoes of his voice as he disappears around the corner of a building, perhaps in hope of losing me. I follow after him lazily, not the least afraid that I should lose him with the rackets he is making out of himself –

…_Wait. That…does not seem like a human…_

No, it isn't. But I do recognize it as one of his Unlife, the annoying yellow stalker. The human's voice yells out from it in continuous stream although I am no longer in the mood of enduring its taunting calls. I crush it underfoot with one simple stomp that I do not bother to back with any real strength.

There is a sharp, mechanical hiss behind me, and I manage to glimpse only of Mother's blue-fired stingers blasting apart two floating leaves at the water's edge. They sink upon impact, gone to be buried underwater once the flame has taken them. The smell of burnt metal and oil fills the air, smoke climbing up from whatever fire that still lingers on the parts of the metal leaves that is still untouched by the surrounding water.

_They still live, _I point with a jerk of my muzzle towards the white foam trail from a quickly receding metal leaf-carrier.

_It does not matter. They have learnt their lesson to not interfere, _she growls with satisfaction. I watch them go uneasily but make no move to chase after them. Only the foolish ones would return and challenge us after being close to be killed before.

_Come, my child. There are still many tasks to be done_, she calls after me gently but her tone is dripping with familiar expectation of bloodlust. I feel myself tensing with excitement, for the pleasure of hunting has always been something that I look forward to.

Together, both Mother and I step slip silently into the water, eager to heed our master's silent call and immerse ourselves in the ecstasy of the next hunt.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:** There's a little guesswork in this chapter...I find my willing suspension of disbelief snaps that the monsters went around the world in less than a day, probably a few hours or MINUTES, with the H.E.A.T watching..._

_That said, on to the story!_

**_XxXxXxXxXx_**

Our master is quiet throughout the journey but his will remains palpable in the back of my head, guiding our movements across the vast ocean. I sense his eagerness pulsating through our links that makes me rather proud – surely Mother and I are of significance that our arrivals come to be expected by our master?

Silence is the mark of obedience but my curiousity cannot bear the unanswered questions swimming in my mind. I dare myself asking Mother of our purposes in an occasion or two, to be met only with a patient silence or cryptic assurance; not quite the response I would have found satisfying, but better than total puzzlement.

_-Our might is needed to cleanse the world_, she had once said to me. That our strengths are recognized is gratifying even if the mention of 'world-cleansing' is a little vague for my understanding. Mother's patience is not without limit, though, so I let my bafflement to rest before I exhaust her good grace – I'm sure the answers will come in due time.

'In due time', as it turns out, take a few more days as we travel ever Southwards. Cold water becomes steadily warmer; many islands we see and pass by, lands big and small that we barely give thoughts to. We press onwards relentlessly, towards the calling voice of our master – but as we near our destination, so does my anxiety grows with the shortening distance. I have sensed 'voices' whose origins I rather not meet, creatures of whom our mutual grudge would make my presence more than just uncomfortable.

But master is calling for us and so I obey even as my instinct retaliates to be anywhere near these 'voices' are. I steel myself against my personal misgiving and follow Mother as she resurfaces. Predators do not cower before threats – I'll be damned to call myself one if I ever retreat without giving a good fight. Setting a foot upon the sandy beach, master's presence is even more pronounced here than anywhere else I have ever felt. His welcome is warmly felt in my mind, enough to overpower the sense of imminent danger ahead of us. I head inland after my mother's heel, curious as to what lay beyond those high hills and thick vegetation. I keep my vigilance to my surroundings –the undisputed presences of enemies are…well, it makes me restless and agitated to be near these creatures I have once fought. My strength is considerable, yes, but I rather not be caught in ambush before Mother –

_-You are here too, Firebreather…_

I know the hissing voice behind me; even before I whirl around to face the source, I know with utter certainty that the first Big Enemy who has chosen to face me is the creature from the East, the Spitting Snake. I hate to be reminded of its nasty blinding trick which has left me sightless – temporary, of course, but massively annoying nevertheless. It rises on its serpentine length, the hood behind its head flaring open with menace, long fangs bared before my face. As if I can be frightened by these petty tricks.

_Touch me, and I'll make sure you stay DEAD this time!_

I roar back at it, letting malice bleeds into my tone. One snake is fine but a rather familiar buzzing soon ripples around us, heralding the arrival of another enemy that I remember meeting on a volcanic island. I am none too pleased to glimpse the Big Bee hovering at the corner of my vision, still alive after I have left it to burn in the depth of said island's fire-spouting mountain. Honestly, how could it have survived all the spilled lava from the erupting volcano?

_-I remember you, fire-lizard. You are not welcomed here._

That is also a recognizable voice, one who brings out my dreadful memories of a sickness that very nearly brought me my death. I turn around to face the horrible, portly figure slumped beside the much smaller bee – the Big Worm, though no longer as big as I remember it being before. However, that is already saying much considering that I have brought my flame and foot upon it during our last meeting. It brings with it another nasty surprise in the form of another enemy I thought to be dead; the foul-smelling Rat Chief in all its stinky, disgusting glory. No wonder I hate it so much.

_-Leave before I break every single bone in your body, Firebreather!_

The Spitting Snake must have forgotten the outcome of our last battle, confident in the support of the other Big Enemies and its blinding spit – the latter which has made fighting it so difficult. I give it that much credit but its overconfidence is greatly getting on my nerves. This arrogant creature will not find me an easy opponent!

_Make me, snake. _

These are all Big Enemies which I have – supposedly – killed. Neither have any common interest except me, one who has given them all hell of a time. Their differences are petty against their greater desire of seeing me finally dead, so it does not come really as a surprise when the other Big Enemies decide to join forces with the Spitting Snake as soon as I issue my challenge to it. It isunnerving – _a little _– to be faced with so many enemies at once but I'll bite my tail off if I cannot even leave a scar or two on each of them as a reminder…

_Come if you dare! Come! I'll kill you all!_

It is recklessness, I know, but submission before a fight is shameful to a predator, especially to this annoyingly haughty excuse of a snake. I widen my stance, discarding all shred of reserve for the incoming battle – even if I myself bleed to death, I WILL make them regret for not staying dead after their first time meeting me.

Then, the master speaks to us.

There is displeasure to the master's words which echo in all of our minds. His desire is transparent, commanding us to stand down and cease the aggression between us. I see in the others' body languages the reluctance to do so and honestly, the feeling is mutual. Despite that, I still obey my master. His wish precedes mine although my claws itch to tear open their hides and break their bones to tiny little pieces. The look in the eyes of the Big Enemies speaks of the same grudging withdrawal even if they do not dare to openly defy our master's order.

_-You are lucky…this time._

The rat's growl is rich with its unspoken desire to sink its teeth and claws into my flesh. I simply answer with a derisive snort, not bothering to give its threat much concern. It is only luck that has saved it from my fire before – I have no problem to roast it for the second time if it decides to do anything foolish. In fact, give me a reason and I will have no qualm whatsoever to breathe my fire to any of these Big Enemies until nothing but ash is left behind.

_-Cease this! We are allies from now on!_

Mother announces, her roar startling us all out of our lingering dissension. In the chaos of our meetings, I scarcely notice her presence – or lack thereof – in the face of the Big Enemies' combined threats right until she reappears from behind us. Of us all, she carries with her what feels to me like a tiny piece of our master. Her roar echoes with his authority, solidifying the command which has been previously spoken in our minds.

_-Your bloodlusts will be much better used in the cleansing instead of each other._

There is still some leftover aggression that we long to vent on each other but under her watchful gaze, we keep the dissatisfaction to ourselves. It is a dangerous foolishness to commence with the violence when the master has already expressed his disappointment of our behaviours. Besides, this…'cleansing' she speaks of so certainly sounds like a more promising prospect than these Big Enemies before me.

There are more Big Enemies that I have not met, it seems. I sense more 'voices' scattered throughout the island, familiar ones, including one that I recognize to belong to one of the flippered snakes which have once guarded the Sunken Leaf. It is rather peculiar to be in the vicinity of so many Big Enemies and yet not expected to fight any of them – my conscience despises their presences in what I come to term as my territories which makes the waiting for this 'cleansing' all the more frustrating.

I feel like being at the end of my restraint when the master speaks to us, but not with words. Although my feet are standing upon solid ground and I can feel the grains of sand shifting under my weight, my sight is sent zooming away from the Big Enemies and Mother before me, to be plunged underwater off this island. Visions stream into my mind in dizzying succession but they burn themselves into my memories – there is a glowing ring floating in the water, framing what seems to be an endless blackness that does not at all match the more natural darkness of the surrounding water. A doorway of some sort, it seems, and my vision is thrust through the ring only to emerge on the continent where I came from. I find myself barraging through the streets of a proud city heavily infested with vermin; I see a tall spike-like tower of stone, a domed white building in the middle of wide grassy clearing and a sharp-angled construction of many pillars facing a pool as clear as a mirror, among many others that these vermin have built.

The next moment, though, the city and its sprawling building dissolves into a multitude of colours and suddenly, I am back again on the island surrounded by the other Big Enemies. There are no words exchanged between us but we are all aware of the message our master has imparted. As one, we head towards the doorway from the vision. The Spitting Snake and the Big Worm disappear underground, presumably for their own doorway which is being opened beneath the surface. The Big Bee, now accompanied by the bat I just fought a few days ago, departs for its destination on its wings. The urge for a battle, already great at the prospect of killing those wretched humans, grow almost alarmingly when the First Big Enemy suddenly strides into my view, its long, spindly legs carrying it easily over the hills that line the shore. I will myself to ignore it, insisting to myself that it is an ally that I have to come to term with if our missions are to be completed. Mother keeps her silence as we slip underwater, and I keep mine; our thoughts are much too focused on the pinprick of light ahead of us, continually growing until it materializes as the light-encircled ring I have seen in my vision.

_-We will see each other again once we are done with the cleansing_, _my child._

I stare after her, shock creeping into my thoughts at her out-of-the-blue statement. It occurs to me suddenly that we are to go our separate ways as I observe the flying Big Enemies vanishing into a separate ring that opens in the sky. It is a gateway that will disperse us all to places all over the world, to wherever our master wants us to be – relenting to separation at the thought of her promise of reunion, I watch her enters the gateway and lets herself be swallowed by the darkness contained within the glowing ring. I have to avert my eyes from it because the passing of Mother seems to trigger it into…some sort of convulsion. The outer light circle pulses and flares erratically, like an enraged beast trying to break free, only to settle down again a few seconds later. The First Big Enemy goes next, propelling itself, squid-like, into the centre of the ring. It too disappears into its warping darkness; again, the ring-like door brightens momentarily as the new creature passes through it. I am about to enter myself when I am nudged aside by the flippered snake. It baffles me for a moment to see it without its twin until I realize that the other must have not survived the crashing weight of the boulders that I have brought upon it.

Does it bear revenge for my doing? I do not know, but perhaps it is more afraid of being somewhere near a murderer of its kind. My remorse is simply that I was compelled to violence when protecting the human I once adopted as my father – if I am made to realize sooner how distasteful where my loyalty has been placed, these complications are unnecessary. I shake myself out of my reverie as the light of the ring calms down after receiving the flippered snake into it.

As I stare into the darkness swirling inside the circle of glowing light, a speckle of doubt creeps into my thoughts. My conscience seems to whisper something quite…off in this scenario, like I am missing a key piece to an understanding. But then, the pull of master's call brings me back to reality and to the urgency of this 'cleansing' he is commanding us to perform. I allow myself a momentary pause to collect my strayed thoughts and steel my resolution before throwing myself right into the centre of the gateway, knowing that the other side holds the vermin that I am tasked to rid of the face of this world.


End file.
